Safety bottle cap with cammed inner and outer caps

ABSTRACT

Safety threaded bottle cap assembly having inner and outer caps, the inner cap having spaced annular circumferential grooves, and an outer cap telescoping over the inner cap, and having a blister adapted to project into either groove and providing for relatively free rotation of the outer cap when the blister is in the outer groove, the outer cap being sufficiently resilient to permit the shifting of the outer cap axially to move the blister from one groove to the other and means on preventing relative rotation of said outer cap in respect to the inner cap when rotated in the direction to loosen or remove the inner cap from a bottle and operative only when said outer cap is shifted so as to place said blister in said inner groove and for replacing the inner cap upon the bottle, and shifting the blister of the outer cap to the outer groove upon the inner cap becoming tight on the bottle.

ilnited States atent 91 Falcone et al.

[ 1 Apr. 10, 1973 SAFETY BOTTLE CAP W i =1 INNER AND OUTER CAPS [76] Inventors: Joseph R. Falcone, 217 Cooper Lane, Dewitt, N.Y. 13214; Any Falcone, Jr., 207 Oak Ridge, Camillus, N.Y.; George W. Haniord, 304

Primary Examiner-George T.

Attorney-F. P. Keiper 7] ABSTRACT Safety threaded bottle cap assembly having inner and outer caps, the inner cap having spaced annular circumferential grooves, and an outer cap telescoping over the inner cap, and having a blister adapted to project into either groove and providing for relatively free rotation of the outer cap when the blister is in the outer groove, the outer cap being sufficiently resilient to permit the shifting of the outer cap axially to move the blister from one groove to the other and means on preventing relative rotation of said outer cap in respect to the inner cap when rotated in the direction to loosen or remove the inner cap from a bottle and operative only when said outer cap is shifted so as to place said blister in said inner groove and for replacing the inner cap upon the bottle, and shifting the blister of the outer cap to the outer groove upon the inner cap becoming tight on the bottle.

6 Claim, 13 Drawing Figures PAIENTEUAPRIOIQB 3 5,

'sum 1 0F 2 54 N y W W 36 1V 5 wm/roRs. JOSEPH RuF'ALCONE.

ANTHONY FALCONE.JR.

GEORGE W. HAN FORD ATTORNEY SAFETY BOTTLE CAP WITH CAMMED INNER AND OUTER CAPS This invention relates to bottle caps and more particularly to a bottle cap assembly capable of ready manipulation for access to the bottle contents by adults but capable of resisting access to the contents by children or infants.

More particularly the invention relates to a bottle cap assembly which comprises an inner screw cap, and an outer protective cap completely overlying the inner cap which is freely rotatable about the inner cap so as to prevent removal of the inner cap in the absence of following predetermined manipulative proceedures whereby a turning torque may be applied to the inner cap for its removal or replacement. More particularly the invention is directed to such an assembly wherein high torque may be applied to remove the cap, whereas a torque predetermined to a desired degree, is provided for in applying the cap to the bottle.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following vdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts: FIG. 1 is an axial sectional view through the cap assembly applied to a bottle, and in the safety position;

' FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the inner cap;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inner cap;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cap taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the outer cap with a portion cut away;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 1, with parts in operative position to remove or apply the cap;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a modified form of cap;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of FIG. 8 taken on the line 99, with the cap applied to a bottle and in the safety position;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of theinner cap;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken on the line 1l-'l of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the outer cap, and

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the cap with parts in operative position to remove or apply the cap.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a bottle 20, having a neck 22 with threads 24 for receiving a standard screw cap formed of plastic, forexample. In FIGS. 1-7 inclusive there is shown a safety cap assembly comprising an inner cap 26 having a substantially cylindrical wall 28, with an internal thread 30 for application to the threaded bottle neck. The inner cap end may have a sealing gasket 32 to engage the bottle neck rim. The outer wall of the inner cap is provided with a continuous annular groove 34 of uniform depth and a second groove 36 spaced inwardly therefrom of like depth. As shown the second groove terminates in a shoulder 38 forming what may be referred to as a positive stop. Immediately beyond the stop, there is a spiral groove 42 leading from the other end 44 of groove 36 into the groove 34 as at 40. The spiral groove is of lesser depth and narrower than the grooves 34 and 36.

An outer cap 50 having a cylindrical wall or skirt 52 is adapted to slide over the inner cap and completely cover the inner cap. The outer cap is provided with knurling 54 to provide a finger grip for turning. The inside wall of the outer cap is provided with a somewhat spherical blister 56 of a size and shape to closely fit the contour of the grooves 34 and 36. The blister is so located as to ride in groove 36 when the outer cap is fully applied (see FIG. 7) or ride in groove 34 when the cap is shifted axially away from the inner cap by the approximate spacing between the grooves 34 and 36 as seen in FIG. 1.

The outer cap is of resilient plastic and is capable of being pressed over the inner cap so as to locate the blister in the outer groove 34. When so located, the outer cap is freely rotatable about the inner cap, but cannot transmit torque to the inner cap. When in this position it is in a safety position, since rotation of the outer cap cannot cause the inner cap to be unscrewed from its tight engagement upon a bottle end. In this position a child would be unable to gain access to the contents, by reason of the freedom of the outer cap to rotate without transmitting torque to the inner cap. I

Should access to the contents of the bottle be desired, it is merely necessary to rotate the outer cap in the direction of arrow A while urging the cap to shift inwardly in respect to the inner cap. To remove the cap assembly from the bottle, one applies axial pressure sufficient to move the outer cap downwardly to shift the blister from groove 34, into groove 36, or into the plane of groove 36.

Thus the outer cap is shifted inwardly to locate the blister in the groove 36. Further rotation of the cap will bring the blister to the stop 38. Further rotation of the outer cap will transmit torque from the blister to the stop 38, and cause the inner cap to unscrew from the bottle.

When it is desired to replace the cap assembly, the assembly with the inner cap is applied over the bottle end, and rotation of the outer cap in the opposite direction is manuallyeffected. While the inner cap may rotate with the outer cap into tight closing engagement with the bottle neck, additional torque to tighten the closure may be effected when the blister 56 reaches the end 44 of groove 36, where it joins the shallow inclined groove 42. Sufficient turning torque to tighten the inner cap to the desired degree may be effected, before the blister will be caused to resiliently distend the outer cap sufficiently to ride up the incline into groove 34. When the blister reaches groove 34, the outer cap is again in the safety position, and turns freely without transmitting torque to the inner cap and the inner cap has been tightened to a predetermined degree asresults from the shallow groove 42 and the resilient characteristics of the plastic of the outer cap.

In FIGS. 8 to 13, an alternative construction is shown, wherein the inner cap is provided with two like continuous annular grooves 72 and 74 and the outer cap 75 has a blister 76 which by resilient distending of the outer cap, can be shifted from one groove 72 to the other 74 or the reverse, by application of axial pressure far greater than what may be expected from a child or infant.

Eccentrically disposed on the inside of the outer cap, and on the outside of the inner cap on a common radius are integrally molded saw teeth 80 and 82 adapted to engage or abut one another for transmitting torque to remove the cap for access to the bottle when the blister of the outer cap is in the inner groove 74 as in FIG. 13, and the outer cap rotated in the direction of arrow B. When the blister is located in the outer groove 72 as in FIG. 9, the teeth 80 and 82 are out of range, and the outer cap is freely rotated without affecting the inner cap, and as before; when in this position it is in the safety position.

When it is desired to reapply the inner cap to a bottle, the blister being in the inner groove 74 by applying downward pressure, the cap becomes as tight as desired. Thereafter the downward pressure may be relieved so that the inclined surface 8l of the saw tooth 80 rides against the incline surface 83 of the saw tooth 82, resulting in camming the outer cap, or assisting in the axial movement of the outer cap to move the blister from the inner groove 74 as in FIG. 13 to the outer groove 72, as in FIG. 9 thus automatically restoring the cap to the safety position with the saw teeth out of range of one another.

Again the degree of tightness that can be applied to the inner cap in screwing the same closed depends on the angle of i the inclined surfaces 81 and 83, the resiliency of the outer cap to yield to permit the blister to cross over from groove 74 to groove 72. In practice, it may be desirable to have the blister 76-disposed on the same side of the cap as is the saw tooth 80, so as to lessen any tendency for the outer cap to cant, when the camming pressure is applied. If desired, an integral annular portion 90, shown in FIGS. 8 and 12 (omitted in FIGS. 9 and 13 to avoid confusion) may be employed to resist canting.

While a single form and modification of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A safety bottle cap assembly comprising, in combination:

a. an inner cap having internal threads for engaging the external threads on the neck of the bottle;

b. said inner caphaving a substantially flat, circular top with a depending. cylindrical skirt;

0. a pair of axially spaced grooves of predetermined depth extending into the outer surface of said skirt, at least one of said grooves extending continuously around said skirt;

d. a radially flexible outer cap having a substantially flat, circular top with a depending cylindrical skirt disposed in covering relation to the top and skirt of said inner cap, and movable both rotationally and axially with respect thereto;

e. a protrusion on the inner surface of the skirt of said outer cap extending inwardly a sufficient distance to engage one or the other of said grooves substantially to said predetermined depth in accordance with the axial position of said outer cap,- whereby flexing of said outer cap is required to e fect axial movement thereof relative to said inner f. first means cooperatively arranged on said inner and outer caps to block relative rotational movement thereof in a direction removing said inner cap from threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle when said protrusion is in the other of said grooves; and

g. second means cooperatively arranged on said inner and outer caps to produce relative axial movement thereof moving said protrusion from said other to said one groove upon application of a predetermined torque to said outer cap in a direction replacing said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said first means is formed by other of said grooves extending less than 360 around said inner cap, terminating at one end in a shoulder which forms a stop for said protrusion, thereby blocking relative rotational movement of said caps.

3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said second means comprises a shallow groove of lesser than said predetermined depth and extending from said one groove to the end of said other groove opposite said shoulder, said shallow groove being inclined from said other toward said one groove in the direction of rotation of said caps to replace said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.

4. The invention according to claim 1 and further including a projection on the outside of the top of said inner cap and a projection on the inside of the top of said outer cap, the height of said projections and relative spacing of said tops and grooves being such that said projections contact one another upon rotation of said outer cap with said projection in said other groove, and said projections are spaced from one another upon rotation of said outer cap with said projection in said one groove, said first means comprising first surfaces on each of said projections transmitting rotational torque from said outer to said inner cap in the direction removing said inner cap from threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle when said projection is in said other groove.

5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said second means comprise second surfaces on said projections transmitting axial force from said inner to said outer cap in response to rotation of said caps in the direction replacing said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.

6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said projections each are saw-tooth in shape, said first surfaces being essentially parallel with the axis of said cylindrical skirts and said second surfaces being inclined with respect to said axis.

i 1' i I I 

1. A safety bottle cap assembly comprising, in combination: a. an inner cap having internal threads for engaging the external threads on the neck of the bottle; b. said inner cap having a substantially flat, circular top with a depending cylindrical skirt; c. a pair of axially spaced grooves of predetermined depth extending into the outer surface of said skirt, at least one of said grooves extending continuously around said skirt; d. a radially flexible outer cap having a substantially flat, circular top with a depending cylindrical skirt disposed in covering relation to the top and skirt of said inner cap, and movable both rotationally and axially with respect thereto; e. a protrusion on the inner surface of the skirt of said outer cap extending inwardly a sufficient distance to engage one or the other of said grooves substantially to said predetermined depth in accordance with the axial position of said outer cap, whereby flexing of said outer cap is required to effect axial movement thereof relative to said inner cap; f. first means cooperatively arranged on said inner and outer caps to block relative rotational movement thereof in a direction removing said inner cap from threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle when said protrusion is in the other of said grooves; and g. second means cooperatively arranged on said inner and outer caps to produce relative axial movement thereof moving said protrusion from said other to said one groove upon application of a predetermined torque to said outer cap in a direction replacing said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said first means is formed by other of said grooves extending less than 360* around said inner cap, terminating at one end in a shoulder which forms a stop for said protrusion, thereby blocking relative rotational movement of said caps.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 wherein said second means comprises a shallow groove of lesser than said predetermined depth and extending from said one groove to the end of said other groove opposite said shoulder, said shallow groove being inclined from said other toward said one groove in the direction of rotation of said caps to replace said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.
 4. The invention according to claim 1 and further including a projection on the outside of the top of said inner cap and a projection on the inside of the top of said outer cap, the height of said projections and relative spacing of said tops and grooves being such that said projections contact one another upon rotation of said outer cap with said projection in said other groove, and said projections are spaced from one another upon rotation of said outer cap with said projection in said one groove, said first means comprising first surfaces on each of said projections transmitting rotational torque from said outer to said inner cap in the direction removing said inner cap from threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle when said projection is in said other groove.
 5. The invention according to claim 4 wherein said second means comprise second surfaces on said projections transmitting axial force from said inner to said outer cap in response to rotation of said caps in the direction replacing said inner cap into threaded engagement with the neck of the bottle.
 6. The invention according to claim 5 wherein said projections each are saw-tooth in shape, said first surfaces being essentially parallel with the axis of said cylindrical skirts and said second surfaces being inclined with respect to said axis. 